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Ralph Nader on Principles & Values2008 Independent for for President; 2004 Reform nominee; 2000 Green nominee | |
A: What I prefer as an American citizen?
Q: Yes.
A: You�re asking me? I�m running for president, for heaven�s sake.
Q: But as a citizen.
A: I would prefer that the American people organize, that whoever is president, they give that person backbone.
A: Thank you very much. I really like that.
Q: It�s an issue that has been discussed about John McCain, and I�m presenting it to you.
A: Someone once said the only true aging is the erosion of one�s ideals, and I want the people out there just to look at our Web site and see how exciting it�s going to be. I�ve been assured by my computer/Internet literate associates--I grew up in the Underwood typewriter age, you know--that this is going to be the most exciting, informative, participatory Web site of any presidential campaign, votenader.org. We�re millions of people out there, and we simply have to, for the sake of our children and grandchildren, and the state of our nation in the world, we have to mobilize in that manner, and that�s what that Web site is all about. It�s not just a Web site. It�s a gathering center, votenader.org.
A: The voters lost a critic of corporate control in the form of John Edwards, also i the departure of Dennis Kucinich. And corporate control is a major issue in any political campaign.
Q: I know you don�t like the Republican candidates, and you�ve told me on several occasions that you consider Hillary Clinton a panderer. That�s the wor you�ve used. But what about Barack Obama? What don�t you like about him?
A: He�s too abstract and too general. He comes on as a constitutional law specialist, but he offers nothing to hold this outlaw presidency accountable. And he�s not speaking out.
NADER: I would like the idea of a no-nonsense mayor, who doesn�t have to dial for dollars and who can go right in and turn it into a multiparty or multicandidate race.
Q: What do you think about a potential Bloomberg run? Would that stop you from running?
A: No, because although he will address certain issues the other two parties will not address, he doesn�t address the civil liberties issues. He�s not good on civil liberties. He�s not good on stopping taxpayer subsidies to corporate welfare recipients, big corporations on the dole. So, I don�t know why we are rationing candidate choice in this country. We certainly don�t ration entertainment. We don�t ration sports. We shouldn�t ration candidate choice, we shouldn�t ration debates, we shouldn�t ration the full, vibrant, robust process of democracy so that taboo issues are untaboo.
A: No. I don�t think she has the fortitude. Actually, she�s really a panderer and a flatterer as she goes around the country. You�ll see more of that.
Q: If Hillary Clinton gets the Democratic nomination, would that encourage you to go forward and put your name on the ballot?
A: It would make it more important that that be the case.
A: He�ll give more diversity for sure, and he�ll focus on urban problems. And I might say, he has got the money to do it, doesn�t he?
Q: Are there any Democrats or Republicans out there?
A: Well, there are, but they don�t have a lot of money. Mike Gravel made a great speech before the Democratic National Convention on the war, on the corporate domination of our economy, on the need for a national referendum to give more power to the people.
Q: I think it�s fair to say he�s a long shot. You like Congressman Kucinich, too.
A: [Yes], these people have records, not just rhetoric, going back in their own elected careers.
Q: You wrote, �Bill Moyers is unusually articulate and authentic in evaluating the unmet necessities and framing the ignored solutions in our country.� You�d like him to run for president?
A: Very much. I got a great response to that column.
Q: What about response did you get from Bill Moyers?
A: We haven�t heard from Bill Moyers.
A: Well, there are 17 ways my mother and father raised four children, two girls and two boys, in a little factory town in northwest Connecticut. And their traditions, I think they�ll resonate with a lot of people, especially young parents who think everything�s out of control for them, including their children. So the first tradition is learning how to listen. My mother would say, learn how to listen so you�ll listen to learn, something I wish George W. Bush grew up learning. There�s a tradition of history, a tradition of the family food table, where a lot of discussion was conducted. Tradition of work: Father had a restaurant where they said for a nickel, you got a cup of coffee and ten minutes of politics. So it was a lot of town meeting activity.
A: No. I don�t think she has the fortitude. Actually, she�s really a panderer and a flatterer as she goes around the country. You�ll see more of that.
A: It would make it more important that that be the case.
Q: Are there any Democrats out there that you like right now?
A: Well, there are, but they don�t have a lot of money. Mike Gravel made a great speech before the DNC, on the war, on the corporate domination of our economy, on the need for a national referendum to give more power to the people.
A: Well, there are 17 ways my mother and father raised four children, two girls and two boys, in a little factory town in northwest Connecticut. And their traditions, I think they�ll resonate with a lot of people, especially young parents who think everything�s out of control for them, including their children. So the first tradition is learning how to listen. My mother would say, learn how to listen so you�ll listen to learn, something I wish George W. Bush grew up learning. There�s a tradition of history, a tradition of the family food table, where a lot of discussion was conducted. The tradition of history, it was very important for us. Tradition of work.
Al was going to win big states by large margins, but Bush was going to win more small rural states, and they had an advantage in the electoral college.
Gore did win [the popular vote], but the electoral college was in doubt. The race came down to Florida, after Gore won a narrow victory in New Mexico, one of several states that were closer than they would have been had Ralph Nader not been on the ballot.
New Hampshire went for Bush by a margin of just over 7,000 because Nader got 22,198 votes. Even worse, Nader received more than 90,000 votes in Florida, where Bush was hanging by a thread in an election contest that would drag on for more than a month.
Ralph Nader's personal asceticism and low-key style masked a sour and unrelenting demagogue--and he clearly understood the new political terrain better than Biden did.
For months, a nonpartisan group called Youth in Action tried to have that seat filled in Philadelphia�s Drexel University auditorium. The event was part of the National Youth Conventions, which involved thousands of high school students and other young people contributing to a National Youth Platform.
By demonstrating a serious engagement with the presidential campaign of 2000, as well as their deep stake in America�s future, Youth in Action was hoping that it could lay claim to some personal attention by George W. Bush and Al Gore, just as large campaign donors had done throughout the year. Its schedulers made sure that there were no conflicts with the big events at the two conventions.
It was not to be. Gore matched Bush in declining to appear. The two candidates had more important events to attend--lavish parties with corporate lobbyists and fat cats.
The 30-second spot caught the attention of MasterCard CEO Robert Selander, who called Nader directly while vacationing in the tropics. Back came MasterCard with a lawsuit, claiming trademark and copyright infringement. The company demanded $15 million in damages. The Nader campaign pulled the ad, pending the outcome of the lawsuit. But it was remarkable how much mileage Nader got out of a single ad. Countless articles about the debacle appeared. Nader campaign headquarters received hundreds of cut-up MasterCards.
Nader received 580,627 votes in 1996, good for 0.6% of the electorate. He came in fourth behind Reform Party candidate Ross Perot (8.5%) and just ahead of Harry Browne of the Libertarian Party (0.5%). Considering that Nader had merely �stood� for president, it was an impressive outcome. He began to wonder what would happen if he ever ran in earnest. So, too, did the Green Party. The stage was set for 2000.
As for the Clinton-era Congress, Nader found that he was a pariah, even among the most liberal members. In 1997 Nader was invited to speak before the House Progressive Caucus, but only 5 of the 50 caucus members even bothered to show up.
From Nader�s standpoint. the icy reception in Washington was proof of a serious drift among Democrats. They had pilfered the Republican agenda and called it their own--a process he termed �protective imitation.�
The doors were shut, tighter than ever. As he did during the Reagan years, Nader went to the grassroots, but there were limits to what could be accomplished. Nader wanted to have a say on weighty national issues. But more than ever before, he found it hard to get any political traction.
In Nader�s case, Bell�s Palsy initially froze the left side of his face, although that gradually abated. But he had continued difficulty controlling the muscles on that side. His left eyelid also began to droop. For some, Bell�s Palsy lasts only a few weeks, but in Nader�s case it would linger. He took to wearing dark sunglasses and began to joke with audiences that he could no longer be accused of talking out of both sides of his mouth.
Yet somehow that spirit, little by little, slipped away, and big business stepped in again to seize more influence on our government. Over the course of my work in Washington, both Democrats and Republicans have drawn so close to the monied, corporate interests that the citizens are shut out.
That is why I ran for president.
NADER: �Well, I�ve been a full-time citizen for 40 years. I think the auto industry knows what I can do in terms of safer cars. We�re almost experts at how to make government and corporations accountable.�
Q: Do you have the experience to run the vast agencies of the US government?
NADER: I don�t know anybody who has sued more of them. I don�t know anybody who has participated for over three decades in the process.
A: I�ve heard from emissaries from the Democrats, from some members of Congress, and their question is always, why are you doing this? And I�ve given them the answer:
This is a broad political effort to enlist young people, broaden the agenda, and focus relentlessly on expanding the tools of democracy -- for the five roles we play in our country: voter, worker, taxpayer, consumer and shareholder.
A: I think of little homilies by my parents. One day, I came home and my parents were in the back yard and my mother said, �How much is a dozen oranges?� I knew. �How much is a dozen eggs?� And I knew. Because my father had a restaurant, so I knew the prices. And then they said, �How much is that breeze that�s caressing our faces? What do you think that sun is worth right now? And you hear those birds? What�s the price of those birds?� And they were trying to teach me that there are things that are priceless. You don�t always measure things by the dollar. And I remembered that as I embarked in my struggle against commercialism and the overwhelming spread of commercial dictates into universities, into government, even into religion, into areas far removed from traditional market place venues.
A: [Not having] sons and daughters was a sacrifice. It�s [a choice] I have to bear [because] I don�t believe in being an absentee father.
Q: When was the last time you had a whole day off?
A: Sometimes when I�m traveling I take a day off simply because there�s nothing to do. And I do take about a week off during the summer.
Q: What�s your idea of a good time?
A: Reading is a good time. Conversing with friends. Seeing new things and new experiences. When traveling, I like to go see plants and factories, like a meat processing plant. Or a coal mine.
Q: Your work schedule is what? 80 hours a week?
A: It�s pretty much all the time except eight hours to eat and sleep. But I enjoy it. The definition of work implies something you�d rather not be doing. [Civic work] is a joy. If more people would involve themselves in civic action, they�d discover an important formula for personal human happiness.
A: Power that is not afraid of losing its power will inevitably corrupt. And that�s why a dictatorship is so dangerous, that�s why monopolies in the corporate area are so dangerous. Power is necessary, but power has to fear losing its power to be responsible in its exercise. I don�t like concentration of power. Whether it�s in Wall Street or whether it�s government ownership of the means of production which is the definition of Socialism.
Born to Lebanese immigrant parents in Connecticut, Nader is a Harvard-trained lawyer who has taken on a vast range of issues, ranging from an unsafe General Motors car, the Corvair, later withdrawn from the market, to banning smoking on airline flights. He was named by the LA Times as one of the 50 people who most influenced business this century.
He and his team of investigators, popularly dubbed �Nader�s Raiders,� have pushed for legislative change and raised public awareness. Nader works out of the Center for Responsive Law in Washington and lives nearby in a studio apartment. A bachelor, he does not own a television or car and has few interests outside his work.
A: Let me put it in context, to make it a little more palatable to people who have closed minds. 24% of the American people are satisfied with the state of the country. That�s about the lowest ranking ever. 61% think both major parties are failing. 80% would consider voting for a independent this year. Now, you take that framework of people feeling locked out, shut out, marginalized, disrespected; and you have to ask yourself, as a citizen, should we elaborate the issues that the two are not talking about? To try to open the doorways, to try to get better ballot access, to respect dissent in America in the terms of third parties and, and independent candidates; to recognize historically that great issues have come in our history against slavery and women rights to vote and worker and farmer progressives, through little parties that never won any national election. Dissent is the mother of ascent. And in that context, I have decided to run for president.
A: Of course it does, but the question is, do both flunk? Do both undermine the future potential of our country, curtailing that bloated military budget and cracking down on corporate crime fraud and abuse. These two parties have been converging, unfortunately, on too many issues to avoid addressing these issues. And they�ve been converging because they�ve been dialing for the same corporate dollars.
A: The Democrats filed 23 lawsuits in 12 weeks to get us off the ballot in state after state like Pennsylvania and Ohio. They did it, in their own words, to distract us and to drain our resources. They�re not going to get away with that this time. We�re ready for them. We�re developing a pro bono network of lawyers. We�ve already sued the Democratic National Committee for what they did in abuse of legal process in 2004. We are now being flooded with volunteers. Donations are coming in, in the testing-the-water period. The forces of injustice work 24 hours a day. The forces for justice and redirection in this country that�s desired by so many Americans who are dissatisfied with the two parties, the forces for justice must also work 24 hours a day.
The Denver convention [which nominated Nader] was held by the group that coveted national elective office, known as the Association of State Green Parties. The rival faction-known as Green Party USA-remained focused on grassroots activism. To confuse matters, it held a convention anyway, in Chicago, where it endorsed Nader. The issues on its platform included abolition of the US Senate and 100% taxation of income above $100,000. Nader refused to accept the rival Green party�s endorsement. But throughout his campaign, many voters and journalists were justifiably confused.
To clarify the record: Nader ran in 2000 as the candidate for the Association of State Green Parties. He did not support abolition of the Senate, nor did he adopt a number of other positions advocated by Green Party USA.
We scheduled the announcement of my candidacy for Presidents' Day, Feb. 21, 2000. Because it was a national holiday, the day was almost guaranteed to have little news competition for the announcement. There was not a single sentence about my announcement on any of the three major networks. Was I surprised by this uniform blackout on four networks? Of course. It could be expected that a candidate with a visible 35-year record of consumer, environmental, and worker advocacy would merit at least 15 seconds on the nightly news.
Although there was good coverage throughout the independent media and talk radio, we quickly realized that our "democracy gap" campaign had fallen into a big-time "media gap."
A campaign should not be a vehicle for an ego. Rather, it is an opportunity for other articulate voices to be heard. When the Green Party conventioneers in 1996 started chanting "Go, Ralph, go," I immediately changed the phrase to, "Go, we go," and it caught on to a surprised but delighted audience. Social change occurs when "we" come together to create a just and democratic society. It's as simple as that. If you want a society that embraces both visions and revisions, then the motto must be "Together we can make a difference." That leaves little room for "ego tripping" or people who are so egotistically fragile that they can be blistered by moonbeams.
I asked the political editor whether the LA Times had any overall newsworthiness criteria for covering significant third-party candidates. He allowed that there were no specific standards, but, "If you do anything with Pat Buchanan, or when you campaign in California, I'd be interested."
I often asked newspaper editorial boards across the country what I had to do to be more newsworthy. The responses were either noncommittal or related to our effect on the Gore-Bush competition. One would think that merely to escape the tedium, the press would declare itself some holidays from the horse-race question.
Nader said he was not impressed by pressure warning that he could hurt his reputation as well as his causes if he was seen as having helped elect Bush. �I waited in 84, 88, 92, 96,� he said bitterly. �It�s as if the Democrats are telling us, �Wait another four years, then ask our permission.�� Then he said the way the two parties cozied up to special interests and encouraged a concentration of power made all other distinctions meaningless. �I don�t care if they�re different on everything else,� he said.
NADER: In recent days I�ve been 7 percent, 6 percent, 17 percent in Alaska. We�re going to draw from a lot of young voters for the first time. We�re going to get millions of votes in November to build for the future a strong party.
In these times of widespread conformity and self-censorship, [I decided to write this book to share childhood] memories with others, in the hope that they might offer guidance and inspiration for the parents & children of today. And what I hope will be especially helpful, in this very different world we inhabit, are my memories of the traditions in which my childhood was immersed--traditions that guide me to this day.
Among other things, my parents were responsible for passing down the traditions they had learned from the generations before them traditions they refined and adapted to the unfamiliar country and culture to which they had emigrated early in the twentieth century. These traditions arose from the received wisdom and customs they had learned during their own childhoods in Lebanon, elaborated by their own judgments, sensibilities, and changing circumstances. In turn, they were nourished by regular feedback from their acculturating children, which they encouraged.
Winsted was, and wasn�t, a typical New England town. Connecticut is dotted with such mill towns, which depended on the rivers to power their factories. Most of these towns were small, dominated by one or two large factories. Winsted, on the other hand, had spawned a hundred factories and fabrication shops by 1900. When my father opened his restaurant-bakery along the town�s mile-long Main Street, the local population was ten thousand.
It was a walking town. In those days, youngsters didn�t have to rely on Mama or Papa to drive them around. Nor were there school buses, except for the really distant rural homes. You walked. I walked.
A: Not George Bush? Not the Democrats in Congress? Not the voters who voted for George Bush? But the political bigotry that�s involved here is that we shouldn�t enter the electoral arena? All of us who think that the country needs an infusion of freedom, democracy, choice, dissent should just sit on the sidelines and watch the two parties own all the voters and turn the government over to big business? If you want to look at it analytically, Mr. Gore would tell you if he won Tennessee, anything else being equal, he would�ve been president. It�s his home state. So why do they blame the Greens? Why do they blame the people all over the country who are trying to have a progressive platform--what was their crime?
A: Not a chance. If the Democrats can�t landslide the Republicans this year, they ought to just wrap up, close down, emerge in a different form. You think the American people are going to vote for a pro-war John McCain who almost gives an indication that he�s the candidate of perpetual war, perpetual intervention overseas? You think they�re going to vote for a Republican like McCain, who allies himself with the criminal, recidivistic regime of George Bush and Dick Cheney, the most multipliable impeachable presidency in American history?
Syndicated columnist Molly Ivins suggested that residents of safe states-where either Bush or Gore held a commanding lead-could afford to vote their �hearts.� But in swing states, she urged people to vote their �brains.� This came to be known as the �Ivins Rule.� The Times editorial and Ivins Rule set the standard for the way the media would cover Nader�s campaign.
Personally, Nader did not appreciate either approach. Certainly he did not relish being slapped with the �spoiler� tag. Neither did he approve of the Ivins Rule, with its suggestion that people vote strategically instead of �voting their conscience� as he frequently termed it.


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What To Look For In Great Commercial Security
April 15th, 2022
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subset: commoncrawl


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Syfy's 'Helix': Ron Moore Series Casts 'The Killing' Star Billy Campbell, Plus New Teaser!
Syfy's upcoming buzzworthy Ron Moore project 'Helix' has yet to shoot a single frame of official footage, but you'd never know it from the buzz and advertising floating around Comic-Con 2013. Supporting the spread of 'Helix' is the first major casting announced today, that 'The Killing' star Billy Campbell will take the lead role in the sci-fi thriller, which has also issued a brand-new teaser!
Deadline first revealed the casting, namely that Campbell would play the leading role of Dr. Alan Farragut, an emotionally troubled CDC pathologist. Farragut has recently endured and continues to get over a failed marriage, wherein his wife had an affair with his brother, the same brother who now needs his help after becoming infected with a deadly disease.
Produced by Sony Pictures TV, directed by David Slade ('Hannibal,' 'Breaking Bad'), and written by Cameron Porsandeh, Moore's 'Helix' follows a team of scientists investigating a possible disease outbreak at an Arctic research facility who find themselves trying to protect the world from annihilation. Under showrunner Steven Maeda ('LOST,' 'CSI: Miami') the series will start production this summer for likely late 2013 debut.
The series also released another creepy new teaser, following the imagery of the first in featuring a black ooze that spreads and seemingly escapes from a research facility. Check out the teaser below, and stay tuned for the latest from Ron Moore's new Syfy series!


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Tonight's TeX Hour is about code and math accessibility. I'd like to get examples of accessibility being easy and hard, and to understand better why.
The TeX Hour is today, Thursday 10 June, 6.30 to 7.30pm UK time. The UK time now is at
. The zoom details are
Meeting ID: 785 5125 5396
Passcode: knuth
I'm interested in all reasons, including cultural, social, legal, technical and economic. I hope that shared examples and understanding will help both experts and beginners in this area.
Here's some top level suggestions:
1. There are legal requirements to provide accessibility.
2. Projects don't think early enough about accessibility.
3. Sighted developers don't get the blind user's experience.
4. There are mature standards, such as Nemeth Braille for mathematics.
Digging deeper we might say:
5. There's no STEM tools similar to
for ordinary web pages.
And deeper yet we might say:
6. Here are some good and not so good examples of an accessibility tree:
Optimistically, I'm hoping this TeX Hour (really STEM Access Hour) will collect and where necessary create useful resources. It's not enough to provide the facts. Real world stories that relate to the reader are also needed. Perhaps start with problems and questions, search for experts and solutions, and then collect and curate the resources.
This is a general process. Being the TeX Hour, we have a special interest and responsibility for matters such as LaTeX syntax, tagged PDF capabilities, and navigation of mathematical content.
Interested? Please email me, or come along to the TeX Hour. I welcome your experience and ideas. And I very much value questions from beginners.
The video from last week (Rethinking the beginner experience) is not yet on YouTube.
with best regards


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5,1 m
List price
excl. VAT
Art. No:
JUMBO Girders used as a support beam with fastening at both ends (Coupler)
Is your spare part not there? Contact us – we might may be able to get it anyway.
Orders should be picked up, no later than 30 minutes before closing.
JUMBO takes no responsibility for typing errors, image errors, sold out items and price changes without further notice.


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Despite our best efforts to make these little fellas feel right at home, this trio of newcomers decided to search our Christmas section for a taste of home.
…and so this was our "Prize Pics" contest photo for the week:
Shuffling just a few feet away from their home at the Bean Bag Toss game, this cuddly group quickly spotted the Dippin' Dots freezer beneath the shade of our giant Christmas tree out on Christmas Plaza.
The penguin trio knew it would be the perfect place to get an arctic blast to remind them of home.
Do you think these colorful penguins sampled some Dippin' Dots while they cooled off? Yummmmm…we have Cookies 'n Cream, Banana Split, Chocolate, and Rainbow Ice (just in case you were wondering).
Congratulations to this week's winners of two one-day tickets who correctly identified the whereabouts of the penguins:
- Matt B. of Brownstown, Ind.
- Terri P. of Murfreesboro, Tenn.
- Tammy W. of Hopkinsville, Ky.
Want to play next week? Be sure to sign up for our free e-newsletter.


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Hi. So Foobar includes a DSP plugin that enables real time dbPA SRC.
If I wanted to have a small, dedicated physical hardware box that could accept 8 channel SPDIF/AES/ADAT, run dbPA SRC, then output these 8 channels in SPDIF/AES/ADAT at a different sample rate:
(1) what would be the CPU requirements for concurrent real time low latency 8 channel SRC? (ie: 8 channels in @24/44.1 and 8 channels out @24/96) ?
(2) would using Foobar be the best/efficient way, or would dbPA reference have some type of real time IO/API for this?


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Glitz, glam, and bad wigs are the building blocks of Rock of Ages, Hollywood's adaptation of the hit, Hollywood-set jukebox musical. Rock of Ages is nothing if not a construction, made to misdirect from its soullessness with movie stars "cutting loose" and frenetic visuals. The high-gloss garishness applied by director Adam Shankman (Hairspray) isn't a bad idea: it's the only idea for an excessive movie about excess. Still, this is a movie you'll never be able to un-see, so think carefully before you rubberneck at this crash.
As on stage, Rock of Ages tells the 1987-set story of two dreamers: aspiring rocker Drew Boley (Diego Boneta of 90210) and aspiring actress Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough of Footloose). A barback at The Bourbon Room on the Sunset Strip, Drew gets Sherrie a job as waitress just before the arrival of rock star Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise). Club owner Dennis Dupree is in a tizzy, telling his right-hand man Lonny Barnett (Russell Brand), "This place is about to become a sea of sweat, ear-shattering music and puke. So let's get moving." When Stacee arrives—with his monkey Hey Man—and installs himself in the green room, his manager Paul Gill (a perfectly cast Paul Giamatti) subjects him to an interview with Rolling Stone reporter Constance Sack (Malin Akerman). Meanwhile, Patricia Whitmore (Catherine Zeta-Jones)—the politically ambitious, Tipper Gore-esque wife of L.A.'s mayor (Bryan Cranston)—campaigns against the devil music of Jaxx and the enabling done by the cash-strapped and therefore vulnerable Bourbon Room. "Rock and roll," she says, "is a disease," a point she underlines by stomping around a church and singing Pat Benatar's "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" (while struggling mightily against a Welsh accent).
Rock of Ages is full to bursting with obvious shtick, like a church organ that sounds a lot like a Hammond organ—speaking of organs, the name of Jaxx's first album ("Stick Meat") emblematizes the movie's safe, PG-13 crudity. Rock of Ages isn't raunchy (and it's certainly not sexy); it's "naughty." To be fair, this approach fuels the best scene, which ironically has Jaxx singing Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" to Sack's ass. The repurposing of Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" as a comment on the nature of celebrity also works, so the one surprise of Rock of Ages is that Cruise basically comes off well. His singing voice doesn't really sound like him (shhh! you're not supposed to say that!), but the movie is rarely boring when he's around. Unfortunately, the movie's heart belongs to the dull ingenues, who ensure that the story will turn toothless for a traditional musical-comedy happy ending that rings entirely false (and turns Jaxx into a literally unlikely hero).
Reviewing Rock of Ages feels a bit like trying to review a Denny's milkshake. It's a crowd pleaser, all right, but with a generic, syrupy recipe, the kind most people grow out of by, oh, age 18. Shankman's frappé of '80s rock is hideous, but weirdly fascinating: for its use of movie star as rock star, its temporary honesty about the sleaze in the Hollywood cesspool (while implicating the audience for having a wallow), and the way an openly gay director—in 2012—countenances playing the very idea of homosexuality for laughs (Baldwin and Brand's duet on REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling"). By knocking boy bands, Rock of Ages also accidentally reminds us of the inauthenticity of hair metal and, even more obviously, the movie itself: talk about splitting hairs. Of course, for most musical-theater aficionados, the jukebox musical is inherently inauthentic: amusement-park theater pandering to the tourists.


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Film noir has been done on TV before, but usually in watered-down variations that suited uncomplicated weekly formulas: detective show (Peter Gunn), lawyer show (Perry Mason), cop show (Miami Vice). The Shield is a cop show, but it's not just another cop show. And though, like Miami Vice, it has its own stylistic replacement for noir's signature chiaroscuro, The Shield's heightened, handheld grit is a smart modern idiom in which to explore a complex moral universe.
Shawn Ryan's series doesn't merely concern itself with the usual cops-and-robbers conflict, with clear lines and a corrupt cop here or there for the hero to put in place. There are plenty of conventional bad guys (gangbangers and murderers) and a handful of basically unimpeachable good cops (CCH Pounder's Claudette Wyms, Jay Karnes' "Dutch" Wagenbach, Michael Jace's Julien Lowe), but the hero is perhaps TV's most fascinating anti-hero: LAPD detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis, in a career-remaking performance). A corrupt cop first seen murdering a partner who has his number, Vic routinely shakes down gangs for money while lying to his bosses. He's not above murder (doctored to appear a "clean shoot" or frame another criminal), especially when matters get personal. As savvy as Vic is, you don't want to make him angry; his rage is the only thing that trumps his self-protective instinct. Ultimately, he wouldn't seem out of place alongside a despicable but scarily understandable tragic hero like Macbeth. From his tenuous position of power, he talks a good game, but he knows the blood won't ever wash out.
Though Mackey is the average person's worst nightmare of what can thrive within a police force, he also gets results. A loving father, he has a genuine drive to take back the streets from criminals; he just doesn't mind grabbing some of their ill-gotten gains for himself. And whether he's right or wrong (a constant source of debate), Vic knows that he represents the city's best line of defense against the worst scum, which serves as self-justification for anything that keeps him in business (including that haunting cop killing from the show's pilot). Even Wyms, who wants Vic permanently out, must continually eat crow and accept Vic's help to meet the numbers expected by her higher-ups.
Ryan has managed to spin ever more juicy moral tangles over the years, and Season Six sets up audiences for the final season endgame (airing in Fall '08 on FX). Season Five culminated in another cop killing within the Strike Team, this one carried out by Vic's more reckless subordinate Shane Vendrell (Walton Goggins, long overdue for Emmy recognition). Though acting from the same motivation as Vic, Shane's slaying of a close friend, based on false intel, turned out to be an error of judgment by any standard.
Season Six deals with the emotional fallout of the crime, and vengeance-blind Vic's bullish path of destruction, leading to the inevitable discovery that Shane is responsible. Their police station "The Barn" once more faces closure unless Wyms can prove its essentiality, and Vic is looking at a forced early retirement unless he can pull off a miracle of his own. Former police captain Aceveda (Benito Martinez), now a power-playing politician, digs himself a new hole while trying to help Wyms.
The Shield's brilliance is bolstered by the top-of-the-line talent it has attracted in front of and behind the camera. Glenn Close did a season-long stint in the series' fourth year, and Forest Whitaker returns in Season Six to wrap up an Internal Affairs storyline that spanned the previous season. David Mamet has directed for the series, and Frank Darabont (whose The Mist utilized The Shield's shooting crew) helms one of Season Six's key outings. The show's writers not only incorporate dark humor (more grounded and less self-conscious here than on The Sopranos) and outdo the bread-and-butter investigations of an NYPD Blue (including an evolutionary step forward in boundary-pushing sex and violence), but they also traffic in the shadowy moral ambiguity of noir.
Sony's four-disc set of The Shield: Season 6 is the first season of The Shield to debut in anamorphic widescreen, but otherwise its contents are consistent with previous releases: a crisp and detailed transfer with potent Dolby Digital audio and a nice selection of supplemental features.
Given that the sixth season comprises only 10 episodes, this could easily have been a three-disc set, but the extras are significant: 36 deleted scenes with optional commentary (a staple of The Shield on DVD); 7 commentaries, spanning the cast and key creative staff (including director Frank Darabont on his episode), and 3 in-depth behind-the-scenes featurettes.
"Saturn's Sons" (29:46) is a Season Six overview, with insights offered by creator Shawn Ryan and the rest of the writers and cast, as well as generous on-set footage detailing production. "Two Directors" (29:24) splits its time to profile the season's celebrity director (Darabont, best known for The Shawshank Redemption) and highly respected workaday TV veteran Paris Barclay (NYPD Blue). "Full Circle: Franka Potente" (14:14) focuses on the guest star (best known for The Bourne Identity), her character, and her storyline.
Looking forward to the next big thing, Sony includes an FX preview for Sons of Anarchy (:32). For now, it's time to catch up on The Shield, as the final season begins to unfold on FX.
Review gear: |
Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30 55" Plasma 1080p 3D HDTV
Oppo BDP-93 Universal Network 3D Blu-ray Disc Player
Denon AVR2112CI Integrated Network A/V Surround Receiver
Pioneer SP-BS41-LR Bookshelf Speaker (2)
Pioneer SP-C21 Center Speaker
Pioneer SW-8 Subwoofer


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I'm baack with another challenge!!!!!
Ok, again, it's not going to be much of an actual challenge.....but this is something I wanna do....
For this challenge, you have to make the best wallpaper featuring Zidane and Garnet from Final Fantasy IX. 9 is a very awesome Final Fantasy and it does not get enough publicity anywhere, so hopefully this challenge will help fix that!!! Simple enough, but I hope it will be fun!!!
1st place winners will get 3 walls of their choice
2nd place will get 2 walls
3rd place will get 1 wall
You got one month!!
Oh, one last thing!!!
The images of Zidane CANNOT be from Dissidia, but instead the original game, and no other characters can be in it!
So, have fun with this!!


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Program: Project Management Professional
Raves & Praise
Christopher Fowler
Very thorough, good mix of lecture and lab work. Al is great! Keeps classes interesting and supplements required test material with need-to-know items from real world experience.
A Cisco Success Story
I attended a resume writing seminar & conducted mock phone interviews with a Microtrain career counselor. These two activities gave me a leg up on distinguishing myself from all the other people looking for work. Since the career counselor's at Microtrain had a track record of getting people hired, their insight and positive past experiences helped me tremendously in getting hired with a Cisco Voice Systems Integrator in the Chicago area. I was hired as a Cisco Voice Tech Engineer with a starting salary of $65,000 / year with a Cisco voice systems reseller located in the Chicagoland area. Microtrain was very instramental in making this a reality. From expediting my WIA grant, to providing excellent hands-on training from knowledgable instructors I was able to achieve becoming certified with my CCNP. Microtrain's career services was the final catalyst in connecting me with this company by communicating with them on my behalf and with me in setting up the interview. One week later and I was hired. No joke. Thanks Microtrain!
D. Easter
PMP Certification Training, November 2008
Thanks Microtrain for conducting a great PMP course that set me on a successful path to obtain my PMP certification. I have passed the test!
Student Employment Success - Project/Process Manager
My Career Services Manager was very friendly and helpful and had excellent follow-up. She seemed to really care how things were going and kept me moving in the right direction. The resources available in job search were great and the visibility that there were jobs out there looking for my skillset was promising. Additionally, the training, as well as having an updated resume stating the Microtrain course work I had taken made me feel more confident and marketable as I looked for employment. It showed that I was dedicated and took project management and process management seriously.
Kaycee Ekufu
The instructor [Al Khalfan] was very knowledgeable in the field. He presented the materials and concepts with a professional touch. He also frequently adds humor to his teachings, which made it easier for me to understand. The support staff was all nice, gentle, caring, and very helpful. The materials, rooms and amenities were excellent and exceeded expected standards.
Connect with MicroTrain
Begin building a successful long-term career pathway.


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We bieden dagelijks GRATIS gelicenseerde Android apps en games aan, die je normaal zou moeten kopen.
Deze giveaway is verlopen. STRONGMom is nu beschikbaar op de normale manier.
STRONGMom is the first complete strength training tool for women before, during and after
pregnancy. With the help of over 100 exercises, you can stay healthy and strong with safe and
fun pregnancy training. With the help of the app, you can easily plan, log and organize your
training from the time you plan to get pregnant, throughout your pregnancy, and postpartum.
The app uses your due date, ensuring that the exercises are safe and effective each step of the
Before pregnancy, for those who plan to become pregnant and want to start a healthy
Prepare for pregnancy with appropriate exercises to strengthen your body for the nine-month
journey. We recommended strengthening the body both mentally and physically before
becoming pregnant.
During pregnancy, for expectant mothers.
The workouts during pregnancy are divided into the following categories: First Trimester;
Second Trimester, Part 1; Second Trimester, Part 2; Third Trimester, Part 1; and Third
Trimester, Part 2 in order to safely provide exercises and workouts that are suitable for every
stage of pregnancy. Each exercise is carefully selected to ensure your safety and to strengthen
your body physically and mentally for the upcoming birth. Exercising during pregnancy has
many health benefits for you and your child, as well as increasing the chances of having a
smoother delivery. By entering your estimated due date, the app takes you to the right trimester
and the appropriate corresponding exercises.
After pregnancy, for new moms and mothers with older children.
STRONGmom consists of exercises for all stages of motherhood, from new moms to mothers of
older children. Safe training is provided to gradually build up and safely help the body recover
from pregnancy and childbirth. After pregnancy, the focus is on building a solid base,
strengthening your core while safely adding additional exercises. This approach will help to
strengthen the whole body over time. Connecting with the deep abdominal muscles also helps
to better activate the glute muscles, in turn helping to better align your body and posture.
If you would like additional guidance in planning your workouts, you can add our premium
programs from inside the app. Premium encourages you to train with the app regularly, 3-5
times a week. Prepare your body for pregnancy, stay strong during the pregnancy and join us in
becoming strong for life!
● All exercises can be done at home, and the only equipment you need is a yoga mat,
pilates ball, exercise bands and dumbbells.
● Each exercise comes with a short video and description.
● Each exercise is carefully selected to safely guide you through your individual stage.
Functions in the basic offer:
● Select from over 100 exercises
● Plan, log and organize training
● Photo timeline
● Document your workouts
● Save your favorite exercises
● Share your progress
● Training guide and good information about what happens to the body during each stage
of pregnancy and postpartum
Features in the premium offer:
● Everything in the base offer (see above).
● Premade training programs, including strength, cardio workouts and wellness tips.
● Easy to enter the premium training programs into the calendar using the selected date or
due date.
You can subscribe to STRONGMom in three different ways:
● The basic offer for a one-time purchase.
● An ongoing monthly subscription for premium programs.
● A 12 month premium program for a reduced price.
If you choose to subscribe to STRONGMom Premium, your purchase will be charged to your
iTunes account. The subscription will be automatically renewed 24 hours before it expires, and
you can manage it from the User Preferences in iTunes after the purchase.
Strong Mom App Development AB
Health & Fitness
4.4 and up


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Chase: Sherbet Bomb 160g
Everest: Moscato Sangria 170g
Marshall: Energy 165g
Skye: Blackberry & Strawberry 180g
Rubble: Monkey Farts 180g
Rocky: Watermelon Lollipop 170g
Zuma: Sherbet Bomb 180g
Tracker: Froot Loops
Sodium bicarbonate, citric acid, potassium bitatrate, sodium coco sulfate, grape seed oil, fragrance oil, polysorbate 80, neon pigment powder, water soluble dye, cosmetic grade mica.
(May contain one or all of the following ci 19140, 42090, 28440, 16255, 73015, 15985, 16185, 14720, 61570)
WARNING: When using a Mica Painted bath bomb you must wipe down your bath tub after use or the colour may stick to soap scum and residue on your bath. If not immediately cleaned you will need to clean your bath with products like Gumption or Jiff. We do not recommend you use these products in painted or porus bath tubs.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE: To provide you with a great experience we use, neon, micas and water soluble dyes in our bath bombs. It is extremely important that you wipe your bath over after use. Colourants have the potential to stick to the residue of soap scum in your tub or on your skin. We recommend showering with soap and water to remove any residue from your skin. Please check the ingredients on each product and always patch test first. If irritation occurs, discontinue use. Our products are made in a home environment so they may contain traces of nuts.
CAUTION: Bath bombs that contain small toys may be a choking hazard for small children. NOT FOR CHILDREN UNDER 5 YEARS OF AGE. Parental supervision is advised. Due to oils present in bath bombs your tub surface may be slippery during use. please use caution as not to slip and fall due to slippery residue and supervise young children while bath bombs are in use.


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Someone claiming to be his friend has identified him on Twitter. His nationality is still not known, but it may be Somali. There are not many things on Google about the man, who has not been officially identified by the police. Reports and video show him bragging over the murder, praising God for the death of an alleged British soldier.
UPDATE: Photo here.
More info here:
I knew Mujahid had changed, last time I saw him, he had memorized so much Quran & was very strict & precise on his worship & manners
— Abu Nusaybah (@AbuNusaybahUK) May 22, 2013


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"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." — St. Augustine
Ahh traveling. Who doesn't love getting away and visiting new places? I know I do! I've done a bit of traveling, (though have many more plans in the future). Even with my novice travel experience I've picked up some pointers along the way. Hope these help when planning your next trip. Happy travels!
Get a passport!
Even if you don't have any immediate travel plans, you never know when you'll need it.
Plan ahead
While I'm a huge fan of spontaneity, some things are better not left to decide on a whim. Lodging and transportation are two things that I always try to have pinned down. You don't want to be in a foreign country, with no money and nowhere to sleep. There are many travel options nowadays and planning ahead assures that you'll get the best bang for your buck. I opted to travel throughout Europe using trains but if I had to do it again I'd like to plan my route further ahead of time and try to use some of the many low-cost airlines that fly to cities throughout Europe.
This goes hand in hand with planning ahead. If you do your research and know where to go and what to do, your travel time will be spent actually doing and enjoying these things, instead of wasting time figuring out what to do.
That said however, be open to change. Maybe you'll meet some interesting people on the train and hang with them for a day? Or you stumble upon a cool art exhibit. This is the beauty of travel, soak it in. -
Look into cheap lodging options such as hostels or couch surfing (couchsurfing.org). Another great option is a site called airbnb.com. It works like a hotel (you pick your city and your price range) the only difference is you'll be staying in someone's home. You can opt for a private room or splurge on the whole place. Of course, if cost isn't an issue then go for what your heart desires.
Exchange Rates
Be aware of current exchange rates and avoid places like airports and train stations to do the exchange (their rates are almost always not as good as exchange places that are a bit further away.) Sometimes the difference is minimal but at times it can save you a pretty penny. You can do some online research ahead of time to see where a good exchange place is located.
Open a checking account at a bank with international locations (For example HSBC, which has locations worldwide.) This will save you from all the extra fees you incur when using your credit or debit card abroad. These rules vary from bank to bank though so you can also ask your local bank if they have an international partnership with a bank overseas. Either way, it's definitely worth looking into especially for longer trips.
Pack light!
This is an obvious one, but if you're like me it's easier said than done. For my trip this summer I opted for a large camping-style backpack over traditional luggage because I know from experience that lugging one of those huge bags around can be torture. Elevators are not always an option, and it's much easier to hoof it up a flight of stairs with a large backpack than dragging your luggage.
Live It Up
Last but not least, be adventurous and of course take lots and lots of photos! I usually take a few memory cards to store all my photos and worry about uploading them all when I get home. Be open to new experiences, try new foods, and most importantly have fun!
"The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time" —Jack London


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Arrival dates and shipping costs above are estimates. Exact shipping costs, arrival dates, and any applicable taxes will be available when you checkout.
Return Policy – Returns are accepted within 90 days of order ship date. Learn MoreSaw palmetto is a shrub-like palm prized for men's health.* Each fan-shaped cluster of leaves is attached to the stem of the plant by a stalk covered in spines. These saw-like teeth lining the stalk give the Serenoa repens plant its common name, Saw Palmetto.
Native to the southeastern United States, Saw Palmetto can be found growing from South Carolina to southern Mississippi and throughout Florida. The plant bears brownish-black berries that have a long history of traditional use by Native Americans.
The earliest mention of saw palmetto's health potential in the scientific literature is found in an 1879 issue of the American Journal of Pharmacy.1 Within the next two decades, saw palmetto began to earn recognition for having properties that provided benefits to men's reproductive health.*1
The health-promoting properties of saw palmetto come from an oil found in its berries.* The special oil is made up of bioactive components, namely fatty acids and phytosterols.2 Although only 1.5% of each berry is made up of this beneficial oil, it can be extracted and concentrated.2 Puritan's Pride offers standardized extracts that provide physiological dosages of this important oil and its constituents.
These standardized extracts were designed to promote prostate and urinary health.* Supplementing daily with saw palmetto helps to support urinary flow.* There is good reason why saw palmetto has become one of the leading herbs for men, especially in later years.
Traditional use claims are based on historical or traditional practices. Saw palmetto has been used for prostate and urinary health dating back to Native Americans and the American Eclectics in the early part of the twentieth century.
The Eclectics were a group of American physicians organized in the 1800s. They called themselves Eclectics after the Greek word for 'select.' They believed in selecting the appropriate regimen based on each individual person's needs. The Eclectics utilized the beneficial properties of locally available herbs mainly from Native American traditions to create health-promoting tonics.3 They created teas and tinctures from the berries of the saw palmetto tree to promote prostate health.*
The prostate is a male gland roughly the size of a chestnut. It is located at the neck of the bladder and the urethra. The word prostate comes from a Greek expression meaning, "one who stands before" describing its placement directly below the bladder.4 As such, the health of the prostate can impact the nearby bladder and urinary flow.
The prostate produces one of the fluids found in semen that is important for sperm motility and overall male fertility.4
The prostate directs the flow of fluids through the urethra and seminal ducts.4
Testosterone is transformed to its more potent form, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the prostate.4
Your daily intake of saw palmetto supplements can be consumed with one meal or can be taken at separate meals throughout the day. The capsules may also be opened and prepared as a tea. We suggest taking saw palmetto supplements with a meal. The active components in saw palmetto are fat soluble and the dietary fat in a meal will help facilitate optimal absorption.
Saw palmetto is native to the southeastern United States. The saw palmetto berries used in dietary supplements are wild-harvested in the US or cultivated in other parts of the world.
Puritan's Pride® saw palmetto products are intended to be used by men to support prostate health.* Saw palmetto should not be taken by pregnant or nursing women. It is important to read all label directions and warnings before use.
Supplement Facts | |
Serving Size 2 Softgels | |
Servings Per Container 30 | |
Amount Per Serving | % Daily Value |
Calories 15 | |
Calories from Fat 10 | |
Total Fat | 1 g 2%** |
Vitamin B-6 (as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride) 10 mg 500% | |
Zinc (as Zinc Gluconate) 30 mg 200% | |
Flowens® Cranberry | 500 mg *** |
(Vaccinium macrocarpon) (fruit) | |
Saw Palmetto Extract (Serenoa repens) (berry) 320 mg *** | |
(Standardized to contain 85-95% Fatty Acids and Sterols) | |
Pumpkin Seed Oil (Cucurbita spp.) 80 mg *** | |
Uva-Ursi Extract (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) (leaf) 10 mg *** | |
(Standardized to contain 10% Arbutin) | |
**Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. | |
***Daily Value not established. |
No Artificial Flavor or Sweetener, No Preservatives, No Sugar, No Starch, No Milk, No Lactose, No Gluten, No Wheat, No Yeast, No Fish. Sodium Free
Getting the most out of life every day is what inspires us to deliver over 3,000 outstanding products that help you achieve your health and wellness goals.
We take pride in manufacturing the vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements that complement your healthy lifestyle, plus we offer essential oils, nutritious foods and more.
So get out there and embrace life… because the journey is your reward.


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Complete Comfort Front Boot provides comfortable, no sweat, dirt and debris protection.
Medium: 9.5 - 10.5 in - One pair
Ortho-Care was established in 1979 as a F.D.A. registered manufacturer of orthopedic and sports medicine products. With numerous patents and years of technological advancements in both product design and materials in the human market.
Ortho-Equine was established as a subsidiary of Ortho-Care and utilizes some of the same technology as developed in the human market. As an example, the Comfort Boot is lined with a temperature regulating material Intellitemptm which Ortho-Care originally utilized for suspension devices for amputees. This material which was originally developed for NASA is breathable and strives to keep a constant skin temperature of 83°.


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Getting My Fix
Want to know what tempts the SC's palate? Let her talk for 30 minutes with the lovely Claire Robinson, host of 5 Ingredient Fix, about the awesome recipes coming up on her new episodes, which start this Saturday. Two words: doggie bag!
SECRETARY CONFIDENTIAL: Claire, you're back with a new season. How exciting! And this time we get even more food fun – thirteen episodes instead of just six. Was shooting them double the work, or was it easier the second time around?
CLAIRE ROBINSON: It was so much fun. This time I felt like I had flexibility to play with different kinds of menus because I had more shows. For example, on one episode I do a no-cook dinner where I don't turn on the oven or stove for the entire show. I did an all Southern-inspired theme called " Southern Soiree in the City," which is the first episode--I bring a little country to the Big Apple.
CR: Oh, yes! Each recipe should be tested at least four times before I think it's a perfect recipe. So, it might take me 20 times to get the recipe exactly where I want it. Then I test it four times in four different types of ovens and stoves. I'll test it out on my husband, friends, my neighbors and my doorman. My doorman will leave notes on each empty plate offering his thoughts on the dish, like "I thought this one needed a little more kick," or "This one was so good," or "Needs more salt."
SC: Do you have any dish about the new season to whet our appetites? It seems like you have no borders with your cooking.
CR: Yes, it's the way I love to cook. I feel as though the new American cooking these days is food from all over the world. There is not one specific kind of American cuisine anymore. I really tried to show that in each of the menus. Probably one of my favorites is the "Sunset Alfresco" episode, which features seared sea scallops with a saffron aioli, a roasted beet salad with toasted hazelnuts and orange segments, and a green goddess rice. The colors of this plate will knock your socks off. It kind of looks like a sunset, and the smells that hit you are intoxicating.
SC: You're sending over a doggie bag, right? It's almost lunchtime.
SC: Has there ever been a sixth ingredient you were dying to throw into one of your recipes? How hard is it to narrow down your ingredients to five?
CR: There are times I'd like to add a sixth or even a seventh. That's when I rework the recipe because I don't want to take a bite and feel like "Gosh, if I just was able to add this one other thing, it would have been perfect."
SC: Now, rumor is that you sometimes eat the food you're cooking with before the production crew can finish filming (can't blame you)! Of the ingredients you work with on your show, what are the hardest to resist before the cameras stop rolling?
CR: Oh my gosh, I think that the kitchen was about to come out and put a meat fork in me. I was eating [the bacon] so fast. I'm constantly nibbling on it while were getting ready to shoot, By the time we're going to shoot, it is all gone. Bacon -- It's a dangerous thing.
There ya have it, FN Dishers. Check out Claire Robison's new season of 5 Ingredient Fix this Saturday at 12:30pm/11:30c.


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Design Notes
December 20, 2010
A Game in 48 Hours
My entry... DOOM CAULDRON
This past weekend I entered a competition where the goal was to make a game in 48 hours, by yourself, from scratch. Rolith talked me into it. He created a game for it too! The theme of the game competition, "Discovery", was announced on Friday at 9pm when the competition started. You might be wondering why on earth I would go home after a intense 5-game release week and immediately jump into 48 more straight hours of game making? (Well, probably not -- you guys love games just as much as I do) Truth be told, most of what I do now is leadership... not hands-on production. Zhoom, Minimal, Captain Rhubarb, Rolith and the other programmers are all so much better than me that I do not get to code any more. J6, Thyton, Ghost, Miltonius, Cysero, Tomix, Oishii are all such incredible artist/animators that I do not get to draw any more either. So when Rolith told me about this contest something sparked in my heart. I WANTED TO MAKE A GAME! So I streamed my screen so people could watch and used a program to take pictures of my screen every minute. I created a game called... DOOM CAULDRON
The most difficult part was that I was running a fever of about 100F Friday and Saturday. Honestly, I would have announced where I was streaming my screen so you could watch me work to everyone except I did not want you to see me fail if I became more sick and had to stop. (I think Beleen's ultra pink Birthday infected me) I created everything in the game during the 48 hours... the Art (mostly photos... my house has an usually high weapon/armor to room ratio... and some pictures I even took of myself using the cameras timer! Note: It is amazing how quickly a Bathrobe and a little creativity can create the "Necromancer" look!), Sound FX (mostly of my toilet), Music (I only had 15 minutes and had to play something on the guitar FAST.. better than nothing!), and of course the code (Any real programmer would cringe in horror... horror!) I feel the games hits the theme of "Discovery" dead on. You drag and drop items into the cauldron and hit create to see what it makes. The ultimate goal is to create... THE DOOM KNIGHT. If you are wondering... why would Artix make a game about a an evil undead conjuring cauldron? The answer is: You know Daimyo and I love battling the evil forces of the undead. I am training Necromancers on how to create undead armies so you can send lots and lots of undead for me to battle on Frostval! (Santa always says no.) Well, are you ready to play... DOOM CAULDRON
Play DOOM CAULDRON
Artix's Entry
Play Code Monkey Trials
Rolith's Entry


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Story highlights
Gunmen killed Hashim Al-Asimi as he was heading home, witnesses say
The witnesses said the militants had warned him to stop his homosexual activity
Homosexuality is against the law in Yemen
Performing homosexual acts, even between consenting adults, is punishable by death
A security official in Yemen's southern Lahj province say that religious militants have shot dead a man they had accused of being gay.
Witnesses said that two gunmen on a motorbike killed Hashim Al-Asimi as he was heading home Monday.
The witnesses, who knew the victim, told CNN that the militants had warned him to stop his homosexual activity at least twice previously and that he would be killed.
Read more: Campaigners push for marriage equality worldwide
"Many extremists live in Lahj, and being gay is unacceptable to nearly everyone in the province," said a Yemeni security official in the province who asked to remain anonymous because he is not authorized to talk to the media.
"This incident has the hallmarks of extremist groups, but al Qaeda has not announced responsibility for the attack," the security official added.
Not everyone knew Al-Asimi was gay, said the witnesses, who added that he was not in a relationship.
The official said that residents in the area did not report the death to police. After a crowd gathered at the scene, security forces discovered the body about two hours after the shooting.
Homosexuality is against the law in Yemen. The performance of homosexual acts, even between consenting adults, is punishable by death.


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You are here: Products For floors and walls Cement floor tiles «VIA» Multi-coloured cement tiles with smooth surface Cement - mosaic tile FLAVIA - Series VIA - 20 x 20 - black / grey green, Art.-Nr. 104160-009
black (60) - gey green (53)
200 x 200 x 18 mm
packaging unit: 10 pcs. / 0,4 sqm.
Ref.-No 104160-009
former 711.9010.853
Price per qm: See Variants *
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Enlarge individual images
black (60) - grey green (53)
200 x 200 x 18 mm
packaging unit: 10 pcs. / 0,4 sqm.
Ref.-No 102284-006
former 711.0010.853
Price per qm: € 95,00 *
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200 x 200 x 18 mm
packaging unit: 10 pcs. / 0,4 sqm.
Ref.-No 101303-020
former 711.6053.200
Price per qm: € 83,00 *
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200 x 120 x 16 mm
packaging unit: 10 pcs. / 2 rm
Ref.-No 101303-00S
former 711.6053.00L
Price per lfm: € 28,50 *
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200 x 200 x 18 mm
packaging unit: 10 pcs. / 2 rm
Ref.-No 101262-201
former 711.0052.453
Price per lfm: € 38,00 *
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200 x 200 x 18 mm
packaging unit: 5 pcs.
Ref.-No 101262-202
former 711.0053.453
Price: € 9,50 *
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Cement tiles were produced as early as the 1850âs in France. They spread over the hole Mediterranean area fast, where you can still admire them in lordly mansions and public buildings to this very day.
Even nowadays every tile is hand-made. For that to happen, a coloured mixture is made by combining marble powder, white cement and pure colour pigments, that is than filled up with a carrier layer and bonded together under high pressure. As a result you get massive and extremely hard-wearing tiles with a slightly porous surface and a 3 mm thick colour coat and wearing surface. The characteristic and distinctive features these tiles have are attributable to the manufacturing process: the silky smooth surface, precious chatoyant colours, slightly uneven edges.
The surface shows a porous structure, similar to natural stone. Impregnation must be caried out after laying (see below). Through use and regular cleaning with re-fatting soft soaps a protective patina will develop and give the floor a vibrant look. Please be careful with acidic products (red wine, vinegar or the like). These should be removed immediately.
Deviations of colour, pattern and form as well as fine crazes and eruption of salt or lime may occur to a limited extent. The thickness of the tiles may vary slightly, the different thicknesses of the tiles are compensated during laying. When filling the master plate entry points may originate. These are also part of the characteristics of cement tiles and therefore are no reason to complain.
The cement tiles are very hard-wearing and wear-resistant (similar to marble). Thanks to their (R9) step security they are suited for hallways, foyers and bathrooms. If your tap water contains high quantities of lime we discourage from laying in the shower area, as cleaning should not be carried out with acidic cleaning agents.
Cement tiles can be layed on underfloor heating, if the floor is heated evenly with usual water temperatures (22-28°C). Please avoid large temperature fluctuations. The combination with electric floor heating systems, which are inserted into the adhesive bed of the cement or terrazzo plates, is not recommended due to the increased thermal stress.
If cement floor tiles are laid in drywall construction, cementitious drywall tiles/screed elements should be used.
The tiles are not frost-resistant and therefore not suited for outdoor use.
If the tiles from our standard range are not in stock, a delivery time of 10 weeks should be expected. Please send an enquiry! Tiles from our special series are made to order. The lead time is approx. 18-20 weeks.
Tiles can only be transported safely with a forwarding agency. We would be pleased to provide you with an offer for delivery on your construction site. Transport cost depends on weight and distance. To prepare the offer we need to know the amount of tiles you plan to buy and your postcode.These tiles are delivered directly from our central warehouse to your construction site.
Please note that tiles must be transported to dry premises immediately, and cannot be put into interim storage in the open due to potential moisture absorption.
All tiling work must only be carried out by a qualified specialist. We cannot accept any liability for damages due to incorrect installation.
To achieve a harmonious play of colours we advise you to mix the packs among one another before laying them in the adhesive bed, leaving a thin gap (1-2mm) for the joints. Individual tiles may exhibit more pronounced colour differences, which is part of the laying pattern. However, before very differently coloured tiles are laid, this should be agreed between the tiler and the customer. The small joint width is a special design and should also be agreed explicitly between client and tiler.
The surface must be clean, even, load bearing, resistant to deformation, dry and free from anti-adhesive substances as well as solid and crack-free. Substrate treatment should be carried out according to the data given by the manufacturer of the tile adhesive. In order to bind the residual dust on the substrate and to reduce the absorbency of strongly absorbent substrates, the substrate should be pre-treated with a primer. (e.g. Oktamos UG 30 from Kiesel)
As tile adhesive we recommend using a very fast setting and hardening, high-strength and deformable mineral flexible mortar with crystalline water retention (e.g. Servoflex K-Schnell SuperTec from Kiesel). Firstly, a contact layer of the flexible mortar is applied to the substrate with the smooth side of the large-toothed comb trowel. Using a 10 tooth comb trowel, the adhesive layer is applied which, when pressed and carefully aligned, allows a flat surface without runs and hot spots. For an almost cavity-free laying it is advisable to use the buttering-floating-technique. The open time / correction time of the adhesive must always be observed: the tiles must be inserted into the fresh thin-bed adhesive. Care must be taken that no skin has formed on the surface of the adhesive. Never stir too much adhesive and do not apply any more adhesive than can be processed during this time. Do not use already thickened residues. Moisture absorption of the tiles should be reduced to a minimum. Re-moistening of the tiles or irregular moisture content in the surface e.g. by drying too quickly, may cause effervescence.
The cement floor tiles can be cut best with a diamond blade. Even mitres can be cut that way, so that clean mitre joints on outer edges are possible. The cutting should be done dryly.
If the laid out tiles need to be covered, this should be made with a breathable material (Do not use cardboard as this might leave marks and discolouration).
Cleaning the tiles after they were laid out constitutes the basis for the impregnation. Begin with sweeping or vacuuming the floor, if necessary remove grout- and/or colour residues with a spatula; then go on with wiping the tiles with a slightly damp cloth. Coarse constructional contamination can be scrubbed of with abrasive powder after the floor was made wet. Never clean with acid! Rinse the tiles with pure water and leave the clean surface to dry out well.
The tiles can be jointed 2-3 days after laying.
Before jointing, the surface of the flooring should be slightly pre-wetted in order to avoid burning out the joints. The jointing of the tiles is made with a mortar made of 2 parts trass cement and one part quartz sand (grain size 0 - 0.3mm) that are combined with water to a yoghurt like texture and applied to the well-swept floor. The mortar is pressed into the joints with an epoxy resin floorboard and is worked in until the joint no longer falls (i.e. the mortar fills the joint completely).
ATTENTION: Do not use prepared joint fillers with plastic content, as these may establish a grey film. You will get the necessary trass cement and quartz sand in a hardware store.
After completion of a well-reachable section, the laying surface is completely cleaned by wiping with a slightly damp tile-laying sponge. However, the tiles should never be washed off wet! This could lead to cracking due to swelling and shrinkage.
Silicon joints should be made before the impregnation is applied. Please use a natural stone silicon that does not release acetic acid when curing in order to avoid discolouration. .
Impregnation can be carried out 8-10 days after jointing, if the laying surface is thoroughly dry. The cement tiles have an open-pored surface and are therefore sensitive to dirt and moisture as long as they are not impregnated.
A clean, dry surface is the basis for subsequent impregnation. Before the impregnation, the floor should get cleaned again. Begin with sweeping or vacuuming the floor, if necessary remove grout- and/or colour residues with a spatula; then go on with wiping the tiles with a slightly damp cloth. Coarse constructional contamination can be scrubbed of with abrasive powder after the floor was made wet. Never clean with acid! Rinse the tiles with pure water and leave the clean surface to dry out well.
The cleaned tiles have a dull appearance. The surface shows a porous structure in the macro-fine scope. By closing this structure the floor will obtain the desired look. The general rule that applies for dirt as well as for the sealer: What is absorbed first is going to be visible.
Two different products are available for the impregnation, which can be used alternatively: VIA tile oil or VIA mineral impregnation
VIA tile oil is a deep penetrating, open-pore natural product with high filling power and rapid drying. Surfaces treated with VIA tile oil are free from toxins and allergy-triggering terpenes. Before the impregnation the tiles must be clean and absolutely dry; the capillary may not be saturated with water due to the previous cleaning. Before the impregnation of the whole surface is done, it is necessary to establish a meaningful trial area.
Suitable tools are paint rollers (foam) and a standard vibrating polishing machine. Soak the foam roller in tile oil to achieve an evenly saturating application of the oil. If the oil is absorbed by the floor at first, you must apply more oil until a thin excess is left behind. Rub in the excess oil immediately with the polishing machine. In easily accessible sections consisting of 3 tile rows, work your way to the exit. The oiling and polishing is best done in pairs.
The floor can be walked upon after 24 hours. The oil will be completely cured after 7 days and the floor will be ready for use. During curing you must not clean the floor.
Trial: After impregnation the floor may no longer absorb any liquids. This can be checked with some water drops that must drip off on the surface and should not penetrate the floor. This is the only way to ensure that the floor will be easy to clean and no dirt will settle.
VIA mineral impregnation is a protection against soiling on a sodium silicate basis with the following advantages:
A small amount of VIA mineral impregnation is applied thinly on a small section with a floor mop. Apply the first layer going in one direction and the second layer in the opposite direction, as if painting a cross. The mineral impregnation is also absorbed by the surface at first, so the section must be worked on until a thin excess remains. Then push the surplus into the next working section and continue the process until the entire laying surface has been worked on. After about 1 hour of drying, a second layer is applied over the entire area.
Surpluses and striation should be avoided Excesses that have not been carefully removed form an ireversible milky veil on the surface. The floor can be walked upon after 12 hours. The floor will be ready for use after 7 days.
TRIAL: After impregnation the floor may no longer absorb any liquids. This can be checked with some water drops that must drip off on the surface and should not penetrate the floor. This is the only way to ensure that the floor will be easy to clean and no dirt will settle.
The freshly impregnated floors as well as older tiles can be polished with diamond pads and a rotary disc machine. Diamond pads are floor pads prepared with billions of microscopic diamonds which clean and polish the floor mechanically. Please proceed as follows:
The wet surface is worked on with three different pads successively. Each pad has a different graining and they are marked with different colours respectively.
Every cleaning procedure consists of cleaning and care. It is important that the cleaning effect is not reached by using acidic cleaning agents, but by using alcaline, slightly re-fatting cleaning agents!!! Acidic cleaners roughen the surface and should never be used. Coarse contaminations can be removed with abrasive powder. Traditionally, terrazzo floors were cleaned with a re-fatting soft soap â soft soap contributes to the care of the floor as it is naturally re-fatting.
Haste makes waste â a patina will form over time and protect the floor.
Any dripped liquids, especially red wine should be removed immediately. Stubborn stains can be removed with a scourer, scouring pads or rough brush and scouring powder. However, stains that arose prior to the impregnation or due to incomplete and deficient impregnation, are usually irreversible. Grinding with a diamond sanding pad can help in order to conceal this - but if need be, the tile must be replaced.
The below mentioned products for laying and surface treatment are available at our company:
Advisory service:
Monday - Friday 9:00 - 14:00 h
By telephone:
+49 (0) 761 15188-33
By email:
Click here.
Opening hours in Freiburg:
Monday - Tuesday 14:00 - 18:00 h, Friday closed, Saturday 10:00 - 14:00 h
Opening hours in Hamburg:
Monday - Friday: 9:00 - 15:00 h and by appointment
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The first International Business semester study abroad program of the Center for Global Education (CGE) is well underway in Cuernavaca, Mexico. The five Augsburg students in the program have been using Mexico as a case study to explore the global economy in their business course and have participated in many educational excursions to deepen their coursework learning.
From visiting the stock market and US Embassy in Mexico City to staying with local families and touring a five-star hotel in rural Amatlán, these Auggies are finding that the hands-on experiences offered by the program are a huge benefit. Kyle Soderberg, an Augsburg senior, says, "The interactive experiences—excursions and speakers—create learning at another level so it's more relatable to careers and the future."
Hannah Carlson, Mara Pederson, and Grady Christopherson second this comment, claiming the meetings with businesses in Mexico City such as Boing cooperative and the Central Bank have so far been the highlights of the semester.
The Augsburg students were initially attracted to the program for many reasons. Carlson was interested because she could study in both her international relations and Spanish and be in a foreign country that wasn't too far away from home. Soderberg said he was excited about the work experiences. He and fellow Auggie, Kaity Berg, will be working on the business and marketing plans for a local cooperative water park as part of their internship.
Aside from the coursework in business and Spanish, educational excursions, and internship placements, CGE's business program also offers an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in Mexican culture. Berg says her greatest lessons have come from the interaction with Mexican people, especially during her four-day family home-stay in rural Amatlán. The experience made all the students look forward to their month-long home-stays with local families, which will begin in early November.
Relating their experiences in Mexico back to life at Augsburg will not be difficult, the students claim. Carlson is already making connections between what she has previously learned about NAFTA and the visits the group has made to local businesses. She says the presentation of opposing views is one of her favorite things about the business program. Soderberg agrees that the information he has learned in his major-specific courses is now "more relatable, more applicable, and makes more sense."
As the semester progresses and students deepen their understanding about Mexico and international business, they will continue to post updates on their experiences in Cuernavaca on the International Business blog.
Apply by October 15 to participate in the CGE International Business program next fall, go to the Augsburg Abroad website.
Article by Stephanie Jackson, intern, CGE Mexico.


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(VICTORY!) Bill Maher: Texas A&M
Bill Maher assails Texas A&M University's Joe Kornegay for his 35 years of deplorable breeding of and ineffective muscular dystrophy experiments on trusting golden retrievers.
Get PETA Updates
Stay up to date on the latest vegan trends and get breaking animal rights news delivered straight to your inbox!
"Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?" READ MORE
— Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind


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Elegant and economical LCI Papers foil lined envelopes are made with a nice matte white, medium text weight paper and a shiny foil liner which extends down the inside of the envelope. They're available in multiple sizes with either a gold, red or silver liner. The foil lined envelopes are great for any occasion including weddings, holidays or even galas.
You can get them in small packs perfect for personal projects or in bulk for large corporate mailings. You can order them blank or printed with a 48hr. turnaround. If you want to learn more about our foil lined envelopes, give us a call and we'd be happy to help you out.


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I realized I have to write down a convention specification about HTML, JavaScript and PHP coding for me and my team.
In web development, just like in C++, I'm definitely a fan of indentation and comments.
Nonetheless, often in my work I encounter HTML+JavaScript+PHP code which suddenly brings up the headache.
I'm trying to make my code readable, but what seems to be better to me (to indent & comment) seems not to fascinate my teammates, so I was wondering if there is a best or at least shared good practice when writing "hybrid" documents just like today's web pages, which day by day become more and more complex.
I'm aware of the fact that probably it is in the nature of today's web pages' code to be a little bit intricated, but I wonder if a good convention concerning these aspects already exists.


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Another day, another Guns N' Roses denial/clarification/statement. This time it involves the video for the song Better - Guns N' Roses is denying that the clip is delayed because of Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich.
Several days ago, a story was posted on Blabbermouth.com reporting that Fernando Lebeis, son of Beta Lebeis - Axl Rose's personal assistant, and probably soon-to-be ex-personal assistant - wrote on a GN'R message board that the video to the band's song Better was being help up by Ulrich, who appears briefly in the clip.
"Tell Lars to OK the vid and it's done," the younger Lebeis wrote on MYGNRforum.com. "That's all that is pending...We are pending his release form to be signed." The post was soon removed from the site.
Later, Lebeis had a bizarre take on his post, that it was "a fun comment and not an attack on Lars."
OK...We'll play along.
Guns N' Roses issue a statement
Immediately following Lebeis' second comment, Guns N' Roses announced that "Lars isn't holding anything up with our video. Our message board comments were meant casually, in fun and amongst friends. Unfortunately, someone with Blabbermouth may have taken things a bit out of context and made them into a bit more than they are in reality. Our apologies to anyone who may have been confused. We hope to have our video out shortly."
With Chinese Democracy sliding quickly down the charts, it had better be one hell of a video. We suggest lots of good old-fashioned subliminal messages, things like "Buy this record." "Free beer with every purchase." "Chinese Democracy makes you irrisistible to the opposite sex." You know - stuff like that.


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TechRadar Verdict
- +
Lively sound
- +
Plenty of musical appeal
- -
Detail not always among the best: Runs exceptionally hot in Class A mode
Why you can trust TechRadar
XTZ hails from Sweden and is responsible for the room acoustics measurement system we reviewed a while back. The company's range isn't huge, but it includes an integrated amp, a CD player, a variety of speakers and some home cinema-oriented electronics and speakers, too.
We have got our hands on the AP-100 power amp. There's no preamp yet, though we'd be prepared to bet on the imminent arrival of one.
Running hot
The big thing with this amp is its ability to work in Class A, the 'holy grail' of amplifiers that avoids the dreaded crossover distortion by ensuring the output transistors are always passing current. It also operates in conventional Class AB and you can select which mode it employs from the front panel.
XTZ cautions that the unit runs hot in Class A and it certainly does. It also runs pretty warm in Class AB and, in fact, it evidently runs with more standing current than most in this mode.
XTZ quotes 110 watts in Class AB and 50 watts in Class A, though with the latter mode you can still get 110 watts from the amp, they just aren't Class A watts. This means that the decision on which mode to use is entirely down to sound quality.
Construction is very solid and based around an internal steel frame, which also provides screening between input, power supply and the two power amp circuit boards. Large internal heatsinks handle the heat.
Construction is good, but not tweaky, with no fancy brand-name components, but plenty of good quality parts, nevertheless. The amp can optionally be made to shut down when no music is played for a while, and it can be bridged for the power-hungry.
Obviously it's tempting to play with the mode switching and see how much difference one can hear. We decided to avoid that, however, and instead had a good, long session with the amp in Class AB, so we could get a general feel for it, before switching to Class A.
This turned out to be a good plan, because we soon became accustomed to the amp's character. It's lively and full-bodied and it can do some lovely subtle things with quieter tracks, but it's not always the most detailed or sophisticated.
Very competitive
We've long enjoyed using symphonic recordings on the Water Lily Acoustics label for auditioning hi-fi. These recordings are unusually ambient due to their simple microphone technique, but they have lots of detail: it just takes a special kind of hi-fi to bring it all out.
The Class-AP100 doesn't quite get as much out of these discs as some we've heard. Despite that, it presents the music both plausibly and attractively. In other recordings and repertoire, it preserves those qualities consistently and avoids many of the pitfalls of other budget separates, including significantly the issue of coloration.
Its tonal rendition of sounds that experience has shown to be tricky, such as male vocals, is very good, with perhaps the merest trace of lower-midrange richness, but hardly the sort of thing to get upset about.
The deep bass is not quite as weighty and solid as some but has enough kick for rock and enough extension for church organ, while extreme treble is just a shade on the dry side but, in context, very good.
There's not much around that we can compare this amp to directly, at least not in the way of power amps, but among integrated models it competes with favourites from Creek, Cambridge Audio, Arcam and so on. That it does so, while retaining its own character – and its mode-switching feature too – is admirable.
Follow TechRadar Reviews on Twitter: http://twitter.com/techradarreview


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Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Are We All Digitally OCD Now?
Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Articles & Resources" @ 05:30 PM
"We are all OCD now. We do these things not just because digital filing gives us the satisfaction of cleaning without the unpleasant feeling of getting up from our chairs. It's because we're constantly confronting the onslaught of information, and our brains are trying to make patterns out of the randomness. We believe that if we just finish a list of every movie we want to see, we can finish that task, despite the fact that Rob Schneider is going to make more films."
Photo Credit: Gizmodo
This is a humour column, but there's some truth to the idea that sometimes we spend more time organizing and fretting away over the details of our digital collections than actually enjoying them. However, unlike the author of this column, I've always been detail-oriented and I appreciate creating digital order from digital chaos...it's almost soothing to me to see things organized properly. I don't think I could ever embrace digital chaos the way the author is suggesting - could you?


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Recent publication on this topic, focusing on the Egyptian and Algerian cases:
Omar Ashour, The De-Radicalization of Jihadists: Transforming Armed Islamist Movements (London: Routledge, 2009).
This book is the first detailed study of the causes of de-radicalization in armed Islamist movements. It is based on frontline research that includes interviews with Jihadist leaders, mid-ranking commanders, and young sympathizers, as well as former security and intelligence officers and state officials.
Additionally, it is also the first book to analyze the particular conditions under which successful de-radicalization can take place. The current literature on Islamist movements attempts to explain two principal issues: their support of violence (radicalization) and their changing attitudes towards democracy and democratization (moderation). However, the reasons behind renouncing (behavioural de-radicalization) and de-legitimizing (ideological de-radicalization) violence have not been evaluated to date. The author provides an in-depth analysis of the de-radicalization processes of the Egyptian Muslim Brothers (1951-73), former allies of al-Qa'ida, such as al-Gama'a al-Islammiyya (Islamic Group of Egypt, 1997-2002) and al-Jihad Organization (2007- present), as well as of Algerian Islamist groups (1997-2000). The book also analyzes cases of de-radicalization failure.
The two questions that the book highlights and attempts to answer are Why? and How? For example, why do radical Islamist militants revise their ideologies, strategies and objectives and initiate a de-radicalization process; and what are the necessary conditions behind successful de-radicalization? De-radicalization of Jihadists shows how a combination of charismatic leadership, state repression, social interactions and selective inducements can ultimately lead jihadists to abandon 'jihad' and de-legitimize violence.
This book will be of great interest to students of radical Islamist movements and Islamic Studies, terrorism and political violence, security studies, and Middle Eastern politics.
Omar Ashour is a Lecturer in Politics in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter. He has a PhD in International Relations from McGill University in Canada.